Psalm Chapter 27

Psalm 27: The One Thing

This psalm contains what may be the single most clarifying sentence in all of Scripture: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after — that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord. One thing. Not safety, though enemies surround him. Not victory, though war has risen against him. Not even answers, though false witnesses breathe out cruelty. Just presence. Just beauty. Just God. The psalm is remarkable for holding together two things we usually think cannot coexist: absolute confidence and desperate need. The Lord is my light and my salvation opens with ringing certainty, yet by the middle we hear Hide not thy face far from me and Leave me not, neither forsake me. This is not contradiction; it is the real shape of faith — bold and trembling in the same breath. And then the final line, that extraordinary command the psalmist gives to his own soul: Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. Wait, I say. He has to tell himself twice, which means it is hard, which means it is real.

00:00 The Lord Is My Light
00:30 One Thing Have I Desired
01:00 Hidden in His Pavilion
01:30 Seek Ye My Face
02:00 Wait on the Lord